Closure latch



March 5, 1968 A. VELAVICIUS 3,371,948

CLOSURE LATCH Filed Feb. 9, 1966 INVENTOR.

ATTORA/EI United States Patent 3,371,948 CLOSURE LATQH AifonaasVelavieius, Detroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation,Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 9, 1966, Ser. No.526,092 4 Claims. (Cl. 292-216) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A door lockincludes a latch frame and a fork type bolt is pivotally mounted on thisframe by a pivot stud for movement between latched, unlatched andintermediate latched positions. A coil torsion spring surrounds thepivot stud and is interconnected between the latch bolt and the frame tobias the bolt to unlatched position. A releasable detent is engageablewith either one of two shoulders of the bolt to retain the bolt inlatched or intermediate latched positions.

A striker pin includes a shank and an unlatched flanged head. When thebolt is in either latched position, the shank of the striker is receivedwithin the bolt throat and the flanged head of the striker is engaged byboth a spring biased wedge and a torus of mechanical rubber to locatethe shank of the striker within the bolt throat. The torus is supportedby the coils of the torsion spring which surround the bolt pivot.

This invention relates to closure latches and more particularly tovehicle body door locks.

One feature of this invention is that it provides a closure latchincluding a latch bolt having a bolt throat, an annular striker receivedwithin the bolt throat when the bolt is in latched position to retain aclosure member in closed position, and first and second means engageablewith spaced portions of an annular head of the striker to clamp thestriker between the first and second means and locate the striker withinthe bolt throat. Another feature is that one of the means is aresiliently biased wedge member and the other means is a resilientmemher. A further feature of this invention is that the resilient memberis mounted on the spring which biases the bolt to unlatched position.

These and other features of the closure latch of this invention will bereadily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partial side elevational view of a vehicle body embodyinga closure latch according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view taken generally along the plane indicatedby line 2--2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 33of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a portion of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, a vehicle body designatedgenerally 16 includes a front door 12 hinged adjacent its forward edgefor movement between open and closed positions and latched at itsrearward edge 14 to the body center pillar, not shown, by suitable latchmeans, not shown. The rear door 16 is hinged adjacent its forward edge18 to the body center pillar for movement between open and closedpositions and is latched at its rearward edge to a body pillar 20,FIGURE 3, by a closure latch designated generally 22 according to thisinvention and including latch means 24 and striker means 26.

The closure latch shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 is substantially the same asthat shown in Gergoe et al. 3,149,-

ice

866. Accordingly, only those details necessary for an understanding ofthis invention will be particularly described. Latch means 24 includes aframe 28 which is mounted on the rear wall or lock pillar 30 of door 16.Both the frame 28 and the door are provided with a slot 32 for a purposeto be later described.

A bolt 34 is pivotally mounted by pin 36 on the frame 28 for movementbetween a latched position, as shown, and an unlatched position, notshown. A coil torsion spring38, FIGURE 4, is coaxially pivoted with thebolt 34, with one leg thereof engaging a tab 40 of the bolt and anotherleg thereof engaging a tab 42 of frame 28 to bias the bolt to unlatchedposition. The bolt is held in latched position, as shown, by theengagement of a foot 44 of a detent member 46 with a latching shoulder48 of the bolt. The detent 46 is pivoted at 50 on the frame 28 and acoil torsion spring 52 interconnects a tab 54 of the detent and a tab,not shown, of the frame to bias the detent clockwise and bias the foot44 thereof toward the bolt 34. The detent 46 is located by theengagement of a tab 56 thereof with a rubber bumper 58 of the frame 28.

Inside and outside operating means are provided to move the detent 46counterclockwise of its position shown to permit the spring 38 to movethe bolt 34 to unlatched position. The details of these inside andoutside operating means are shown in the aforenoted Gergoe et 211.3,149,866.

The striker means 26 includes an annular member 62 having a flange 64which seats against a spacer member 66. A threaded portion 68 of member62 extends through openings in the spacer 66 and the pillar 24 toreceive a nut and thereby mount the member 62 on the body pillar in aposition wherein the member 62 projects laterally of the pillar andlaterally of the wall 30 of door 16. The member 62 further includes anenlarged annular flange or head 70.

Assume now that the door is in open position, the bolt 34 is inunlatched position, and the door is moved toward closed position. Theannular member 62 will first engage the inner leg 72 of bolt 34 to swingthe bolt clockwise about the pivot 36 and move Within the slot or throat74 of the bolt, which is provided by both the inner leg 72 and the outerleg 76 thereof. The slot 32 in the door wall 30 and frame 28 permits themember 62 to move within the door and into engagement with the bolt. Asthe door continues to move toward closed position, the head 70 of member62 will engage the wedging surface 78 of a wedge 88. The wedge 80 isslidably mounted on a guide pin 82 which is secured between spaced innerand outer walls 84 and 86 of the latch frame 28. The lower surface ofthe wedge rides on a wall 88 of the frame and the wedge is normallybiased by spring 90 outwardly of the frame or to the right and intoengagement with the wall 86 of the frame. As the annular head of thebolt engages the wedging surface 78, it will move the wedge inwardly orto the left, and then move into engagement with the outer annularsurface 92 of a resilient annular member 94 as the door moves to fullyclosed position and the bolt 34 moves to fully latched position asshown.

Member 94 is mounted on the body of the torsion spring 38 generallycoaxially with the: spring and the bolt 34. It will be noted withreference to FIGURE 2 that the surface 92 of member 94 engages theannular head 70 generally opposite the engagement of this head by thewedging surface 78 to thereby vertically locate the member 62 within theslot 74 of bolt 34. The inner and outer legs 72 and 76 of the boltlocate the member 62 horizontally of the body but, of course, permtvertical movement of the member 62 within the slot 74. This verticalmovement is prevented by the members 76 and 85. Thus, when the bolt 34is in latched position as shown, bolt 34 locates the door 16horizontally with respect to the body door opening and the wedge 80 andresilient member 94 locate the door vertically within the door opening.

The wedge 80 and member 94 further provide an antirattle means and alsoprovide a take-up for production tolerances since it is difiicult tolocate the annular member 62 in the same longitudinal position withinthe slot 74 in mass produced automobiles. Preferably the member 94 isformed of mechanical rubber or an equivalent material and the wedge 80is formed of nylon so as to be less deformable than the member 94.

It will also be noted with reference to FIGURE 2 that the bolt 34includes an intermediate latching shoulder 96. When this shoulder isengaged by the foot 44 of detent '46, bolt 34 is in an intermediatelatched position. In this position of the bolt, the head 70 of member 62has initially engaged the wedge 80 and has moved this wedge slightlyinwardly or away from the wall 86 of the frame 28. The head 70 has alsoinitially engaged the surface 92 of member 94 so that the wedge 80 andmember 94 function in this position of the bolt as well as in the fullylatched position of the bolt as shown.

Thus, this invention provides an improved closure latch.

I claim:

1. In combination with a closure member movable between open and closedpositions with respect to a support member, a closure latch comprising,in combination, a latch bolt mounted on one of the members for movementbetween latched and unlatched positions and including a bolt throat, anannular striker mounted on the other member and received within the boltthroat in the latched position of the bolt, the striker having anannular head, first means mounted on the one member 4. and engageablewith one portion of the striker head when the striker is received withinthe bolt throat, and second, resilient means mounted on the one memberand engage able with a circumferentially spaced portion of the strikerhead to clamp the striker head between the first and second means andprevent relative movement of the striker within the bolt throat in thelatched position of the bolt.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the first means includeWedge means having a wedging surface thereof engageable with the oneportion of the striker head.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the bolt is pivotallymounted on the one member for movement between latched and unlatchedpositions, resilient means bias the bolt between the positions thereof,and the second means is mounted on the resilient means.

4. The combination recited in claim 3 wherein a coil torsion spring iscoaxially mounted with the bolt pivot to bias the bolt between thepositions thereof, the first means includes a wedge mounted on the onemember and engageable with the one portion of the striker head and thesecond means includes a resilient annular member mounted around thetorsion spring and engaging the spaced portion of the striker head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,705,885 4/1955 Craig 292-28O X2,998,275 8/1961 Nallinger et al 292-216 3,130,997 4/1964 Kink292--341.12 X 3,149,866 9/1964 Gergoe et al 292-216 3,206,240 9/1965Roethel 29234l.12 X 3,281,176 10/1966 McKey.

RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner.

